Zaid ex-candidate for PKR No. 2 post says he's had enough

By SIRA HABIBU
sira@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has decided to quit PKR, saying he has had enough of recent turn of events in the party.

"I knew my days in the party were numbered because the leaders were relentlessly making personal attacks against me.

"I am quitting because I want to dissociate myself from liars and cheats. I do not want to be part of a group that propagates lies and does not have any qualms about cheating for as long as the end justifies the means,'' he told The Star.

Zaid, who joined the party in June 2009 after a fallout with Umno, said he would take a short break to "get away from all the attention".

"I am not sick of the party, I am sick of the sick leaders in the party,'' he said.

The former Cabinet member pulled out of the race for the PKR deputy presidency last week, citing the leadership's failure to address allegations of manipulation and fraud in the party election system.

He dropped a bombshell when he asked party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to quit, saying PKR would not be able to implement its reform agenda as long as Anwar and his "preferred" deputy presidency candidate Azmin Ali remained in power.

Zaid said he had been attacked for merely asking for a clean, free and fair party election.

He said that right from the start of polling when he was leading the pack in the race for the No. 2 post, he had been calling on party leaders to seriously look into irregularities in the balloting process.

"How can they blatantly lie that I only made noise after my opponent (Azmin) took the lead on the third day of polling?" he asked.

"They call me a troublemaker, that I am a Trojan horse out to destroy the party. They also accused me of being an Umno agent trying to destroy the party from within.

"I cannot accept all these lies.

"They (PKR leaders) do not take well to criticism. They ‘shoot' the messenger of truth, rather than address the complaints," he added.

According to political observers, Zaid is likely to go on and form his own party.

Zaid Quits Race For PKR No 2, All Party Posts

Monday, 08 November 2010 11:40

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has quit the PKR deputy presidential race saying the party "leadership actively condone malpractices and electoral fraud to achieve its designed objectives."

"I wish to announce my withdrawal as a candidate from the contest of deputy president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and my resignation from all posts held in the party," said Zaid in a statement Monday.

Zaid also resigned as the party's political bureau member, Federal Territory chief and Wangsa Maju chief.

He said he decided to pull out of the No 2 due to blatant vote manipulation.

He said "there is no attempt on the part of the party leadership to address the various issues of manipulation and unfair electoral practices, although these issues were raised repeatedly.

"It is of utmost disappointment that I am unable to continue in this flawed election process," he said.

Earlier, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had denied claims of vote manipulation despite numerous complaints of irregularities during divisions as well as central party polls.

Below is the full text of Zaid's statement.

" I wish to announce my withdrawal as a candidate from the contest of Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and my resignation from all posts held in the party.

"I was offered to join this party under the belief that I could promote enlightened and progressive politics; nurture and develop principled political values and culture that I consider indispensable to the development of democracy and good governance in this country. I was mistaken.

"Over the course of the party elections, events have shown that the leadership actively condones malpractices and electoral fraud to achieve its designed objectives.

"I am certain that any political party with such hypocritical and false values will not be able to offer meaningful reforms to the people of this country.

"I have made this decision because there is no attempt on the part of the party leadership to address the various issues of manipulation and unfair electoral practices, although these issues were raised repeatedly.

"I wish to thank all the members who have supported me and placed their faith in the cause of reform.

"It is of utmost disappointment that I am unable to continue in this flawed election process.

"I remain committed to the Opposition’s cause and will continue to speak about the issues of the common people.

"Together, we will continue our unabated struggle towards a better government for the people.

"Finally, I hope those adoring fans of Anwar Ibrahim will no longer regard me as a “spoiler” standing in the way of their march to Putrajaya. I wish them well."

PKR to kick out Zaid?

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:40

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR deputy presidential contender Zaid Ibrahim may end up being suspended or sacked from the party, according to a posting on the popular blog Haris Ibrahim.

Haris, blogging in his People’s Parliament, quoted “someone high up” in PKR, as saying:

“If Zaid cannot be persuaded to pull out after nominations are closed, they’ll find a way to disqualify Zaid from contesting.

“A charge of misconduct, money politics, or of bringing the party into disrepute will be trumped up, and Zaid will be either suspended or sacked.”

According to the blogger’s source, party supremo Anwar Ibrahim and Zaid's rival Azmin Ali would ensure that Azmin would win the deputy presidency uncontested.

“Both Anwar and Azmin realise that even if Azmin pulls off an impressive tally of nominations for the No.2 post, that in no way guarantees that the members’ vote will go the same way,” Haris quoted the PKR man as saying.

According to the latest reports, 90 PKR divisions have nominated Azmin and 33 have nominated Zaid.

In recent weeks, Zaid has given interviews to the mainstream media in which he had questioned Anwar's role as the party advisor, urging him to contest for the president's post.

He has also spoken about lies and attacks hurled at him by certain party leaders following his decision to contest for the deputy's post.

Anwar's dream team

Haris’s article also strengthened rumours that Anwar will eventually announce his candidacy for president.

Claiming that he got his information from insider sources, the blogger said Anwar’s dream team would consist of Azmin as deputy president, Rafizi Ramli as youth chief, Zuraidah Kamaruddin as women’s chief, Mansor Othman, Lee Boon Chye, R Sivarasa and someone from Sabah or Sarawak as elected vice presidents, and Fuziah Salleh, Chua Jui Meng and another candidate from Sabah or Sarawak as appointed vice presidents.

Haris alleged that Anwar and Azmin were trying to undermine Zaid’s popularity in the East Malaysian states. He said his PKR source confirmed this and quoted him as follows:

“Zaid’s frequent trips to Sabah and Sarawak and his increasing popularity there got both Anwar and Azmin concerned. In fact, I know that ex sec-gen Salehuddin (Hashim) had remarked to Zaid on one of those trips that he (Zaid) was finished in the party.

“Last year, when Anwar directed Zaid not to go to Sabah for the Hari Raya celebration, and Zaid defied the former, it became clear to Anwar that Zaid would not and could not be controlled.”

Read Haris' blog:

What now, given that Anwar’s dream team has hit an oil spill? Simple. Sack or suspend Zaid

Show maturity, support BN when beneficial, Zaid tells Pakatan

By Clara Chooi

September 22, 2010

BATU PAHAT, Sept 22 – Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has told Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers to show political maturity and shake off fears of being unpopular by supporting the Barisan Nasional government’s policies if they were beneficial to the people.

The former Umno minister also urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to take a firm stand on sensitive issues that touch on race and religion, even if his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was against it.

This, he claimed, were the main ingredients needed if the country wanted to break free from divisive and race-based politics to achieve national unity.

In a summary of his speech on national unity delivered at a function in Batu Pahat tonight, Zaid (picture) stressed that leaders from both sides of the political divide needed to stop their petty bickering and show some political maturity by standing together on longstanding issues that needed to be resolved.

“A show of unity would send the right signal that elected representatives are the ones who decide on policies for the rakyat and not some theologian or bureaucrat.

“I believe the opposition must support the government when it is good for the people,” he said.

Zaid, who is now the Pakatan Rakyat coordinator and a contender in the PKR deputy presidency race, also said that bipartisan support in Parliament should be encouraged as it was a reflection of a mature democracy.

“This is especially when the government needs help in dealing with certain difficult issues,” he said.

He expressed disappointment that PR lawmakers had kept silent when the Najib Administration wanted to present three bills in Parliament to resolve sensitive, outstanding issues – the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, the Administration of Islamic Law Act 1993, and the Islamic Family Law Act 1984 – in early July last year.

The bills were aimed at clearing up some of the ambiguities in the country’s legal system pertaining to jurisdiction issues surrounding the Syariah law and common law, which have oftentimes caused much difficulties to families engaged in divorce matters, religious conversions or custody battles.

“Unfortunately of course, the Rulers Conference deemed it fit to review the bills themselves first and hence, the effort of the new Prime Minister was stopped and we have heard nothing since then.

“But still... PR parliamentarians had not taken the opportunity at the time to support the BN and the new PM to resolve these issues,” he lamented.

Zaid added that it was easy to talk about the intention to unite the nation and to come up with a to-do list on how to achieve it but finding a strong enough political resolve to do so was difficult.

“And this is where PR and BN must show some political maturity. It will be a test for [Prime Minister Datuk Seri] Najib [Razak] on the one hand and PR leaders on the other, on their commitment to national unity and political stability.

“The nation awaits to see an effective and responsible leadership to guide them through an uncertain future. This is the real challenge to all present political leaders,” he said.

Zaid claimed that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s model of politics - to reign by securing and maintaining power at all costs – is contrary to the reconciliatory politics needed for nation-building.

“Najib’s new formula is 1 Malaysia. Will it work?” he asked.

Najib, he added, needed to take a firm stand when handling difficult issues pertaining to the racial diversity of the nation.

“The long walk that will really test the mettle and sincerity of our leaders is the handling and managing of difficult issues. Matters like the special position of the Malays under Article 153 of the Constitution, the position of Islam under Article 3, the equality of all citizens and religious freedom... these are issues that need to be clarified with honesty.

“A firm stand must be taken by Najib, even if his deputy (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) is against it. No pussy footing, no fudging to please only certain groups.

“Only a clear articulation of the government’s stand on these issues will coalesce into national building blocks of trust necessary for unity,” he said.

It has often been speculated that there was no love lost between Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin, who has been accused by the opposition as being a hindrance to the Prime Minister’s 1 Malaysia goals.

Although both men have denied a friction in their relationship, Muhyiddin’s controversial assertion once that he was a “Malay first and Malaysian second” has continued to stigmatise the BN administration as being fractured and falling apart.

Zaid also bleakly pointed out that Malaysia had only regressed over the past few years, claiming that the country could now hardly be called a “united nation”.

“Unity has deserted us. We need only to open the newspaper to see how one race is being pitted against another, or religious issues that are being played up so openly to antagonise or demean one group against one another.

“Teachers have become purveyors of sick ideologies. We need only to go on the internet to be bombarded with blog postings or video clips that scream bigotry and intolerance,” he said.

In recent days, the country was hit by a slew of racially-charged issues, further fuelled by bickering between political leaders in the BN leadership.

Among the issues were the racial slurs uttered by two school principals, one in Johor and another in Kedah, who had allegedly insulted their non-Malay students in front of their schoolmates.

While the opposition and many leaders in MCA and MIC spoke out to condemn both principals however, the BN government was seen as acting too slowly in resolving the issue.

Najib in fact, was criticised for remaining “elegantly silent” in the matter.

What was most disappointing, Zaid pointed out tonight, was how political leaders continued to stay non-commital, refusing to acknowledge the severity and the impact of such open displays of intolerance.

“Our leaders have stayed totally impotent in the face of such an onslaught. In fact now, the divisive politics of the BN are detrimental to the long-term goals of the nation. It is also detrimental to BN’s own wellbeing,” he said.

Zaid burning his bridges with PKR

Zaid burning his bridges with PKR

Zaid Ibrahim

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

It looks like the writing is on the wall for Zaid Ibrahim, who joined PKR last year amid huge fanfare. Already, the word on the grapevine is that he may resign either out of ill-will or disgruntlement or even to avoid being sacked for indiscipline. But whichever door he exits through, it is clear it will be extremely difficult for him to stay on in the party that had pinned such high hopes on him.

His sympathizers say it is a waste of talent but few would deny he asked for it. The cause of his downfall in PKR – his rivalry with vice president Azmin Ali that has turned uncontrollable to the extent that he has publicly ridiculed his own party and its de-facto head, Anwar Ibrahim.

Tian

“We would like to help but we can’t reach him. Not physically but mentally. He appears to have hit the self-destruct button whether on his own or on the advice of those close to him. He is no longer communicating with the top leaders nor does he seem to be in sync with the party’s aspirations at all,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“We were shocked when he accused PKR of being a second Umno. When you are angry and you want to wake up the party, we can still understand. But this was to gain advantage for himself against Azmin. For me, this is not acceptable. Like it or not, we are a party and we sink or float together. Whether Zaid realizes it or not, the impression he has given is that he is completely intent on being No. 2 so much so that he seems to have lost all sense of judgment or proportion.”

Loose canon

Tian is not the only one who has spoken out against Zaid. Many PKR members are starting to realize that Zaid has feet of clay after all. They are bewildered by his latest statement that he will be a loyal deputy to president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, while in the same breath, he hit out at Anwar.

Despite the cloaked words, they smelt an insult directed at both Wan Azizah and Anwar. To them, it now appears that Zaid may not be just an over-enthusiastic contestant for the No.2 post but could instead be harboring grand ambitions of taking over PKR, and they don’t like it.

Nik Nazmi - among those who have spoken out

“Too often do I hear that Wan Azizah is not the real leader. Some say she has no power. This happens because some party leaders don't respect the position of party president. “(Some of these) leaders are more comfortable giving their full trust in the de facto leader. I, too, trust and fully support Anwar, because he is the party founder and opposition leader. But in the party structure, he is just an ordinary member,” Zaid had said in his blog.

His comments drew immediate fire from communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who blasted him for indiscipline and disrespect towards Anwar and PKR as a whole.

“Now, the latest gimmick is to return the president's power. Hopefully he will also have more organisational discipline and collective responsibility,” said Nik Nazmi on his Twitter page.

“If only he checked with the members who were at the 2007 PKR congress who understood why the exceptional position was created for Anwar. I forgot - he (Zaid) was still in Umno at the time. Now he criticises Umno culture! Well done.”

Casting a cloud on PKR polls

In 2007, Anwar was in a three-corner fight for the party presidency against Wan Azizah and Abdul Rahman Othman. Anwar and Abdul Rahman later withdrew, paving the way for Wan Azizah to win uncontested. The Opposition Leader did so after he was warned that he would be in violation of the Societies Act 1966, which prohibits anyone who has been in jail in the preceding 5 years from holding a party post. Anwar was only freed from jail in 2004.

Azmin and Anwar

Zaid’s over-ambitiousness has also cast a cloud over the PKR polls, which many members had looked forward to with pride because it is the first time that a political party of its size in Malaysia has ever allowed each of its members to decide whom they wanted to lead their party.

Despite the attacks launched by Zaid against Azmin, he has not garnered as many nominations as he may have wished. His score of 19 is about half of Azmin’s 39. Another vice president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub has 6 nominations while Tian has 2, elections director Fuziah Salleh and Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim have one each.

In PKR, Zaid is seen as aligned to Sabah vice president Jeffrey Kitingan. Jeffrey has also been unhappy with Anwar and Azmin. So too are businessman Soh Chee Wen and former secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim, who have already fallen out with Anwar.

Many PKR members believe the four – Soh, Salehuddin, Jeffrey and Zaid - have grouped together to seize the party from Anwar and Wan Azizah. Some have even accused the four men of being BN moles. Zaid and Salehuddin are former Umno members, while Jeffrey was a former BN leader and Soh was once with MCA.

The only divisions that have not cast their nominations yet are in Selangor, Johor, Sarawak and the Federal Territories. These will do so next weekend onwards. Closing date for nominations is on Oct 3. Voting takes place from Oct 29 to Nov 21. The results will be announced on Nob 27.

Anti-Zaid blog up to down him

By Clara Chooi

September 21, 2010

Zaid: For me to save it from people who are not making significant contributions to the reform movement, now that is quite clear since I joined.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s detractors have set up a blog, aimed at attacking the former Umno man as an “outsider” bent on destroying PKR.

The blog, called “Save PKR – do not allow outsiders destroy the party” at antizaid.wordpress.com, saw its first entry on Saturday, just as the hotly contested race kicked off with divisions nominating.

“This blog was born out of the intention to save PKR from being destroyed by a person sponsored by greedy and voracious businessmen.

“From today on, this blog will publish exposes after exposes over who this person is. To the readers and whomever who wants to share information on the evils of this person above, please email antizaid@gmail.com,” the entry read.

Four more entries have followed — two yesterday and two more today — alleging Zaid had bought votes, used an Umno daily and a mouthpiece for this campaign.

One entry, posted yesterday, appeared to harp on how Zaid still trailed behind vice-president Azmin Ali, another lead contender in the deputy presidency race, in his tally of nominations from the divisions.

It claimed that the nominations tally showed that members still “loved the party”.

“Money and corruption failed to buy over the loyalty of the members. Funds coming from these greedy and voracious businessmen still has not been able to threaten the loyalty of the PKR grassroots.

“So far, the nominations trend is on the right track. May the division members continue to do the right thing. Do not allow PKR, which was formed since 1999, be destroyed by individuals who only just joined the party in 2008.

“Think about it,” the entry said.

To date, Azmin leads with 39 nominations while Zaid only has about half his count at 19.

Trailing behind is another vice-president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub with six nominations, while the party’s chief strategist Chua Tian Chang has received two, just enough to qualify for the race. PKR elections director Fuziah Salleh and Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim have a nomination each.

The blog confirms Zaid’s recent complaints that he is a victim of unprecedented attacks aimed at destroying his chances in the polls.

He had earlier this month lamented that a prominent blogger was paid to character assassinate him.

“The blogger was asked to write that I am willing to pay RM20,000 to every division that nominates me and to say that I am working for Tun Daim Zainuddin to destroy Parti Keadilan Rakyat,” he said.

Read more here

'Azmin's letter on Zaid' exposed

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:31

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: As the battle for the PKR deputy presidency heats up, a litany of allegations have surfaced. The latest being a letter purportedly penned by Azmin Ali about Zaid Ibrahim.

Both Azmin, the current vice-president, and Zaid, a supreme council member, are the top contenders for the number two slot.

The letter, dated April 5 and addressed to Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, was regarding Zaid's candidacy for the Hulu Selangor by-election. Khalid was the campaign chief for the by-election.

It was published by the news portal Malaysia Today, which received it from an anonymous reader.

In the letter, whose subject matter read: 'Issues that can be raised by BN against Zaid Ibrahim', Azmin had cast aspersions on Zaid's elegibility to be fielded as a candidate.

In total, 32 reasons were cited ranging from moral grounds to being found guilty of money politics when he was still in Umno.

After Zaid was defeated in the Hulu Selangor election, allegations were rife that his campaign was sabotaged, with fingers pointed at Azmin. But this charge was denied.

Azmin, who is a close associate of PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, is rumoured to be uncomfortable with Zaid's presence and meteoric rise in the party.

On the issue of morality, the letter had branded the former Umno MP and law minister as a "kaki minum" (alcoholic) and "gambler".

He was also accused of not having any religious foundation and the letter noted that he was once sued by PAS over the hudud law issue.

Apart from this, the letter also called him a "liar" and described him as a "vengeful" person. He was also said to be liberal in his views and lacked the Malay spirit.

"He wants an existing system to be replaced with his views even if it comes at the expense of the party. This is what caused him to be expelled from Umno.

"His priority are the rich while the poor are left aside. This can be seen from those around him, they are mostly rich people. Zaid hardly mixes around with normal people," read the letter.

Should he be picked, the letter warned, it would be a personal victory for Zaid and not a victory for the people.

"Due to the above reasons, any attempts to field Zaid as a candidate should be be examined in depth in terms of impact," read the letter, which was sent before nomination day on April 17.

'Why accept him in the first place?'

In the April 25 by-election, Zaid was defeated by Barisan Nasional's P Kamalanathan by a majority of 1,725 votes, in a contest which the PKR candidate claimed was rife with corruption.

Zaid had joined PKR in 2009 after he was sacked from Umno for not toeing the party line and for attending opposition functions.

He quit as law minister in September 2008 after disagreeing with the government's decision to arrest opposition leader Teresa Kok, blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin and a Chinese daily journalist under the Internal Security Act.

Meanwhile, a PKR insider told FMT that the letter, if penned by Azmin, would confirm the latter's disgruntlement towards Zaid.

"The issues raised in the letter were from the time of Zaid's days in Umno. So why did they accept him into PKR amidst such fanfare and heaped praises on him in the first place?

"Why did Anwar welcome Zaid with open arms if there were such serious misgivings about him? Is this a case of 'use and discard'?" he asked.

Previously, Anwar, a former Umno deputy president himself, had described Zaid's entry into PKR as a positive development which would provide a boost for the party.

"Zaid has a reputation for fighting for human rights and for the independence of the judiciary," he had said.

Also read:

PKR - Self-Destructive Mode?

Party over in Sabah, Sarawak if Azmin wins

'Malay by heritage' Zaid slams Dr M

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:53

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim has diagnosed Dr Mahathir Mohamad with a psychological disorder, which has rendered his mind "convoluted and confused".

And a tell-tale symptom of this condition, according to him, is the former premier's "obnoxious and extraordinarily stupid" statement.

Commenting on Mahathir's latest blog posting on meritocracy, Zaid also took a swipe at the latter's Indian roots, by describing himself as "not just a Malay by constitutional definition, but by heritage (as well)."

In his posting, the former premier had labelled those who pushed for meritocracy as being just as racist as those who defended Malay rights.

Mahathir added that some Malays, “perhaps due to mistaken pride”, supported meritocracy and undermined the Malay position further.

However, Zaid disagreed.

“Many Malays want meritocracy for very good reasons. They want their applications for contracts and projects to be given fair consideration by the authorities. They do not want only those who are politically connected to have the upper hand. They want a level playing field.

“They believe that they can succeed on merit if only they get a fair chance. They want to succeed with their pride intact; and at the same time they want to tell their children that Malays who work hard and with the right attitude can succeed., like everybody else,” he said.

Zaid said many Malays wanted meritocracy so that they could get their dues like promotion and higher positions by working hard.

“They want to be judged fairly and not lose their position or seniority because some one else has the right political cable. They want a promotion system that is transparent and free of interference.

“They want to say that they have succeeded because they did it the hard way. Why does Mahathir have to belittle these Malays? Why must the Malays be scrapped off their self-respect just to prove that Umno is responsible for everything in this country?” he added.

'This is not misplaced pride'

Zaid, a former Umno leader himself, said he failed to understand why Malays who supported meritocracy were described as having misplaced pride.

On the contrary, the former law minister said, it was these Malays who carried the flagship of a proud people.

“We know our strengths and we have no shame of our limitations. But we will always strive to better ourselves. If by open competition and transparent policies the net effect is that some Malays still need extra help and support, then of course a responsible government will have to step in; to provide the incentives and the safety net to bridge the gap.

“But let us start with the notion that we must earn our success like everyone else. And the let the best amongst us prosper. We do not need to be instant millionaires. We can take our time so long as we work hard. All we want is the best education for the Malays,” he added.

Zaid said that his comments were aimed at reminding Mahathir of how wrong he was, and not because he had misplaced pride.

“Misplaced pride for a Malay is when he gets to be a minister because his father fixes it; or he has a few hundred millions in his coffers because he has the right Chinese partner to enrich him,” he added.

Also read:

Everyone's a racist in Dr M's eyes

Lim Kit Siang's reaction:

Has Mahathir crossed the Rubicon to declare war on Najib, 1Malaysia and NEM?

Zaid: Umno guys gamble

UPDATED

By Clara Chooi

KUALA KUBU BARU, April 20 — PKR’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim fired a salvo of his own today when he claimed that Umno politicians frequent casinos around the world.

“The gambling guys are all in Umno. They go to casinos, you know?” said a smiling Zaid at a press conference at the PKR operations centre here this afternoon.

The former Umno man then urged the media to check the registers of casinos “all around the world” for names of these Umno politicians.

“Check with them.... you will not find my name there but you will find theirs,” he said.

Zaid, however, declined to reveal the names of these politicians but maintained that he is not a gambler.

However, he admitted to owning racehorses but insisted that this did not amount to gambling.

“Horse-racing is a sport. There is nothing wrong with it. I do not think these Umno guys understand... like my father before, he used to own birds,” he said.

He was responding to allegations in blogs that he was a gambler.

According to the blogs, Zaid’s horse Kelantan won in a race in 2006, and earned him a whopping US$450,000 (RM1.44 million).

Zaid later said he did own racehorses — three from New Zealand and one thoroughbred from Australia. “There is nothing wrong,” he insisted.

Zaid also said that he would not press charges against these bloggers for their baseless allegations or for putting up doctored pictures of him drinking alcohol.

“I can’t press charges on people who put up these blogs. What kind of charges anyway? If you keep suing all these people you will end up doing nothing else in your life,” he said, eliciting laughter from the reporters present.

Zaid also said that the withdrawal of the two independents in the by-election race would not make the battle any easier. “It will not be easier, it will make little difference. Obviously I am not just fighting the candidate here, I am contesting against all the Umno guys like (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) and (deputy prime minister Tan Sri) Muhyiddin (Yassin).

“All the banners across town bear the face of Najib,” he said.

Zaid however continued to appeal to the Hulu Selangor voters to choose him as their MP, and cited his close relationship with Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

The 'Z' trio: Zip or get zapped

Sunday, 31 January 2010 20:52

KUALA LUMPUR – The ‘Z’ trio in the PKR has to either learn to zip their mouth or get zapped by the party leadership.

Recent events involving the three – Zahrain Hashim, Zulkifli Noordin and Zaid Ibrahim – had greatly embarrased the party and leaves de facto PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim with no choice but to haul them up for possible disciplinary action.

The three men would have to appear before the disciplinary committee and face the music, the Opposition Leader told a press conference after the party’s central committee meeting here Sunday.

Zahrain, the Bayan Baru MP, had allegedly insulted Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng by calling him a dictator, chauvinist Chinese and Communist.

Not right to attack CM

In defence of their secretary-general, the Penang DAP claimed Lim had informed the party that Zahrain was “politically frustrated” as his recommendation for a RM2 company to be awarded a contract had been rejected by the state government.

Responding to the tiff between the MP and the CM, Anwar said:

“It is not that we don’t like to be criticized.

“It is okay to criticise, but it is not right to attack Guan Eng calling him dictator, chauvinist, and communist as he always consulted others.

“Sometimes, he (Lim) reviews his own decision. But at the end of the day, he is the chief minister.”

“Some of us have called for immediate action, but here in PKR and Pakatan, we have to adhere to the party constitution and allow due process to take place,” added Anwar.

As for Zulkifli, the controversial Kulim-Bandar Baru MP, had crossed swords with Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad, from PAS, who supported a court decision allowing non-Muslims to refer to God as ‘Allah’ in their publications.

Zulkifli lodged a police report against Khalid and imediately caused a ‘diplomatic’ crisis in the Pakatan Rakyat alliance.

All together or separetely?

Defying a gag order imposed by the party, Zulkifli went on to lambast the DAP, calling it a chauvinistic party.

Pushing his luck further, Zulkifli urged PKR and PAS to dump the DAP and work, instead, with Umno.

Reacting swiftly to the matter, Zaid called on the PKR leadership to sack Zulkifli.

It is unclear if the disciplinary board would meet all the ‘Z’ trio together or separetely, considering that the weight of their respective offences differ.

For instance, Zaid is being hauled up for merely scolding the PKR leadership for not taking faster and harsher action against Zulkifli. As his ‘offence’ is the lightest, he is expected to be given nothing more than a warning letter.

Zahrain, the former Penang PKR chief, may face suspension if he continues to keep challenging the Pakatan administration in Penang and create negative publicity for the coalition

In Zulkifli’s case it is possible he may face the sack for his seemingly pro-Umno stance.

'I don;t care if he wants to burn bridges'

Meanwhile, Lim said it does not matter to him if Zahrain wants to sever ties withthe Penang government.

He said, however, he was interested to see who would support Zahrain.

“If he wants to burn bridges with the Penang government, that is his choice.

“Let us wait and see if other Penang leaders will support him,” Lim told reporters after opening a national workshop for DAP local councillors in Ipoh on Sunday.

Lim said since the media furore over the issue started, he had not been in communication with Zahrain, adding that it had not affected the running of the state government.

“It is business as usual in Penang. After all he (Zahrain) is not an assemblyman.

Have to address the reasl reasons

“Of course, the media will try to create a sense of crisis and that is what Barisan Nasional wants to achieve,” he said, admitting that he was surprised by Zahrain’s attack.

“This just came out of the blue and I feel we have to address the real reasons behind it,” he said.

Responding to a statement by Barsan chief Najib Abdul Razak that the open spat involving Pakatan leaders was a sign that there was a serious split within the alliance, Lim said he had expected Barisan to turn the matter into a full-blown crisis.

“But one swallow does not make a summer,” he said, adding that it was unusual for the Prime Minister to express his views on such a matter. - Malaysian Mirror

Malaysia IS Zimbabwe, says Zaid

PKR politician Zaid Ibrahim has applauded constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari for speaking out "about the rotten state of the rule of law and democracy" in Malaysia.

In a reply by text-message, he described Abdul Aziz as "a well respected academic and a courageous one".

Zaid, a former Umno strongman who crossed to PKR, expressed hope that many will come forward and be unafraid to speak out for the sake of the country.

"Nothing will change unless those who know rise up to expose the vermin (that are) eating and destroying our national institutions and democratic values," said Zaid (right), once the de facto law minister.

Last Sunday, Malaysiakini reported Abdul Aziz's comments that likened the current state of 'lawlessness' in Malaysia to that in Zimbabwe.

When contacted, political analyst Khoo Kay Peng echoed many of the concerns expressed by Abdul Aziz.

In particular, he said Umno should not regard governance of the country as its birth-right, but realise that it is the people who have given it the mandate to lead.

Ha ha ha.......

Malaysia is nowhere NEAR Zimbabwe for the following reasons:-

(i) They have got buildings taller than the Petronas Twin towers.

(ii) They have airports of world class standards, with ERLs and LRTs whizzing across their arid and godforsaken country at the speed of light.

(iii) The Zimbabweans have longer and stronger bridges, more excellent highways sprawling across their countryside, F1 circuits, their own national cars, fighter jets, submarines, T72s, and the world's only sodomite who aspires to lead other non-sodomite citizens as prime minister.

(iv) They have opposition parties, made up mainly of people who came to their country forced onto them and came invited in drones and masses, disrespect their kings, sneer at the original zimbabweans who had been there for thousands of years, and YET BE ALLOWED BY THE GOVERNMENT THERE to do businesses that consume up to 70% of the economy.

(v) Zimbabweans have gone to become UN space agency directors, astronauts who touched the tip of Orion's club, even a Bond girl. But no Zimbabwean ministers have ever been paid 5 times the salary of the US president.

(vi) The fact that in the recent pasts they have more changes in government and prime ministers instead of the SAME old person from the SAME old popular party shows how democratic the country is. Oh yeah sometimes opposition voices there are dealt with by assassinations, public lynchings and outright bombings but hey! what's a few life here and there compared to the general serenity experienced by the nation as a whole? Not.

(vi) Zimbabwe has anarchy, Malaysia has monarchy. Dont tell me one-person-ruler is better than many-headed-ones? Malaysia has parliament, Zimbabwe has the AK47. What. A country should be sissy or what?

How dare Zaid Ibrahim equate Malaysia with Zimbabwe. It's like equating apples and grapes.